Republicans in 24 Hispanic districts will likely lose voters if the party does not rethink its approach to immigration reform, according to poll released Wednesday by immigrant rights advocacy groups Latino Decisions and America’s Voice.

Nearly 80 percent of Latino voters living in Republican districts believe the country’s 11 million undocumented immigrants should have the chance to become citizens – an idea that has been widely rejected among House GOP members.

Instead, House Minority Leader Eric Cantor has pitched a plan to grant citizenship only to undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children.

Gary Segura, co-founder of the polling firm Latino Decisions, said House leaders’ immigration strategy could play a major role in next year’s mid-term elections, with the majority of voters calling immigration their top issue.

“The Republican Party has a good chance to make up ground with Latino electorate,” Segura said, pointing to the one-quarter of voters who said they hadn’t decided which party to support. Fifty-two percent of voters said they planned to support a Democrat.

That gap could close if Republicans endorse a pathway to citizenship, as 40 percent of voters said they’d vote for a Republican who supports that option.

He also pointed out that Hispanic voters are more likely than any other racial or ethnic group to vote for candidates across the aisle. More than 60 percent of respondents said they had previously voted for a Republican.

But the battle for Latino votes will be tough. Less than a quarter of Latinos said they currently viewed Republicans favorably, compared to 60 percent for Democrats.

The polling data also showed that the immigration issue was personal for most Latinos in the battleground districts. About half of respondents said they were related to someone who is undocumented.

As the immigration battle intensifies in the House, Republicans such as Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, have stressed a border security surge before Congress considers other reforms.

That approach is overwhelmingly unpopular among Latinos in swing districts. Sixty-five percent said Republicans were using the security-first to block legislative action.